1) Field of the Invention
Generally, the filing of receptacles with solid particles (granular solids) is accomplished by transfer of the solid particles by means of a funnel and/or a cone either manually or mechanically or by pneumatic transference.
2) Background Art
As a general rule, it is of utmost interest to introduce the maximum amount of product into a given space, as much in order to reduce the cost of storage as well as for other specific reasons, such as, for example, to standardize storage or reduce the volume of air or gas in the container. The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus which makes it possible to achieve an increase in the quantity of solid introduced into a certain volume.
Everyday storage situations relate to cereals (in silos), food products intended for consumption or for livestock, agro-alimentary products, fertilizers, chemicals, granulated plastics, pharmaceutical and/or cosmetic products, and many other divided solid material (grains or tablets or extruded granulate material, pills, agglomerates, crushed materials, etc.).
Another field of application includes receptacles or chemical reactors intended to be filled with solid particles: catalysts, adsorbents, reagents, packings, sundry fillings. In this case, it is almost always advantageous to place the maximum amount of solid product inside the reactor in order to enhance the activity thereof per unit volume and therefore to improve the efficiency and effective service life (cycle time or working life).
A suitable method resides in using the apparatus described in French Patent No. 2431449. Other apparatuses have already been described in the prior art, particularly the apparatus described in Patent DE-A-2 703 329.